Primera Taza Coffee House

My cappuccino with almond milk was good. Very reasonable 25cents extra for soy or almond as opposed to .50 or .75 in some coffee shops. Customer service on point. Made my little one feel very comfortable. Even gave him a free little pastry that he was hesitant to try but liked after all. Wish they had some books and coloring materials for kids but not a big deal. Someone ordered a banana and strawberry shake she told me it’s fresh and really good. I just try that on my next visit. I will try the café con leche next time. I will be coming back!

Primera Taza is even better now. Same great place and calm vibe but better coffee and better wi-​fi.
I love the place. Across from Mariachi Plaza and Libros Schmibros and a few blocks from the library. I like that.

The first time I came here was a few years ago. I ordered a blended ice drink. It was chocolate and the 1^st sip made me wish I had milk on the side. I didn’t go back until…
Until I did. I finally went a second time in December of last month. I met up with my mom and an old teacher/​friend of ours. We decided to have sandwiches and boy oh boy! They were delicious!!! We raved about them to each other, to the worker and even to a couple walking by.
My turkey sandwich was so delectable and my peach tea was perfect! I can’t wait to go back and eat more sandwiches.
We had a great time and the barista had a nice chat with our teacher. Thank you Primera Taza.
Oh and that couple walking by… They were so moved by our food experience, they decided to go in and try for themselves.

Primera Taza is a Boyle Heights Coffee haven primarily because they have fresh Mexican coffee hand selected by Chuy that is ground daily. If you’re not much of a coffee drinker, they have a variety of excellent teas available.
Also on offer are a variety of snacks, such as locally made cheesecake and cupcakes as well as Gansito cakes. Aside from the 20% off your bill with a Unilocal check in, everything from beverages to food is reasonably priced and looks cheaper than other coffee places in the area.
This is a relatively small coffee place. Definitely a good spot to chat up with total strangers and start good conversations if you’re feeling talkative. The walls are filled with works by local artists available for purchase. There is parking in the back, and a nice patio as well!

Chuey was an absolute sweetheart — so warm, inviting, and a pleasant face walking in from a cruel, crazy world! I can’t have caffeine, but needed a spot to work for an hour or two. He suggested a hot chocolate, and asked what milk I wanted! They have almond, soy, and coconut. So awesome to offer alternatives to soy! So, I sit here with my almond hot chocolate, feeling like my day is turning around because of this place.
The place is quaint and small, with 4 seats at a bar and 5 tables. Free wifi! The vibe in this place is so warming, I can’t stress that enough. It feels like home. Highly recommend.
As for the hot chocolate, it’s a bit sweet, but that’s just fine with me!

Looking to do some work in the city of Boyle heights, I found this quaint little coffee shop that’s name caught my attention. As I walked in, I notice that the shop was very Cozy and instantly gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. The walls display art from local residents and features the everyday colloquialism found in this community. The shop is clean and the service is very friendly!
I ordered a black coffee that tasted amazing! The cashier, Chuy, told me that the coffee came from Guerrero, Mexico — a city that is close to my heart. Overall, I give this place a five star rating because I felt como en casa.

Great small pleasant coffee shop. Very friendly and great caramel blend drink.
The place is small with a couple of tables but that gives it the small coffee shop feel, which I like. They also have free wifi with the router up at the counter.
Def a good place and worth visiting.

This place is a hidden gem! Amazing customer service with top quality coffee. The sandwiches are packed with flavor and the portions are plentiful!
This coffee haven is directly off the goldline’s mariachi plaza station. It’s the perfect pit stop to satisfy your Java fix or to pick a delicious snack.
This business is community owned! The owners are superb, but most importantly they are from Boyle Heights!

This place is dope. It’s down the street from my apartment, and is probably my favorite amongst walking distance coffee shops. Their coffee & sandwich deal is good for 6.50 and somehow I just discovered their cute little back patio. Really excited to enjoy some hot coffee bevs out there when fall rolls around.

I admire this coffee house opening up in Boyle Heights. It’s seems like a really cool neighborhood hangout where I would come by every day to have coffee if I lived closer. It’s unpretentious, unhipster, not that I have a problem with any of those kind places. I just prefer places like this.
Primera has been on my list, because of their pozole Saturdays and this «lonche de lomo» I’ve seen on my IG feed more than once. I was intrigued and added this place to my agenda today. I also heard about the unique beans they source from places such as Tijuana which is unheard of in the craft coffee scene (to me).
For other coffee drinks, they have Stumptown Coffee. To taste the unique beans, you would have to order a regular drip coffee. I wasn’t sure if I was going to eat here, but he told me he had three lonche de lomos left I decided I was going to enjoy my coffee and sandwich in the shop.
I’m not a huge bread person and I could easily do without it. I obsess about bread when it is well made. I am a total bread person when I am Europe. The bread is just not the same. When the owner told me that the bread came straight from Guadalajara, I knew I was in for a treat. Only food nerds would get bread delivered from far away.
The sandwich was one of best I’ve tasted in Los Angeles. The pork loin was moist and tender bursting from the sandwich as it was brought over to me. It was not too big, and not too small. The perfect size. This sandwich had me at first bite with the perfect ratio of meat, sauce, and bread. The drip coffee was better than I expected — smooth to drink and not bitter. The owner is a coffee nerd.
I was on my way out and out the door when they enticed me to stay for that mascarpone cheesecake. I’m a cheesecake person, so once it was offered or suggested, I could not resist. One of the best cheesecakes I have tasted. My favorite being a ricotta cheesecake at an Italian restaurant in Tribeca/​New York City.
A nice option (as there are many now) if you’re in Downtown or Boyle Heights area when you want a more relaxing and less hipster (sceney) environment. Stumptown, Blue Bottle, Verve, all seem too chaotic to me whenever I visit.
Psst. 20% discount if you check-​in on Unilocal

I came in looking for a nice place to study and get some coffee. Realistically, I would give this place 2 ½ stars because I wanted to support local business. Mayyyyyybbbee I’ll come back to get something to-​go.
Firstly, I expected the seating to be limited (as the pictures showed) but there was only one power outlet from what I saw, half being used to light up the ‘open’ sign. Downfall but no biggie. I just like to put that out there because when I went in, it was being used completely. So good thing my laptop was charged.
Secondly, when I pulled out my chair to set up shop, my fingers instantly felt something STICKY. Pretty gross! I then noticed that the rest of the place could use a wipe down and some disinfecting. The sugar and straw area was a bit messy. The raw sugar had old crusty parts on the inside from maybe previously getting wet inside of it. There were also funky smells around me, maybe the trash? Big turn off but I was still determined to give it a shot.
As funny as it sounds, the main impression I was left with, the reason I didn’t stay longer, and perhaps the reason I would be hesitant to return was unfortunately the barista. Good service but it really got to me that for the hour and a half or more that I was there, this guy would not stop whistling and singing to the Spanish rock playing! I know, I know, let the guy be happy right?
I totally am supportive of the ‘whistle while you work’ mentality and cheeriness but the problem was there was more whistling than working. The place was not packed at all but I think if I were the owner or manager and saw that I would say something to him like «Dude, bro, could you maybe wipe down some tables or take out the trash instead of standing in front of the register working on your harmonies?»
What made it worse is that myself and the few other customers were obviously not there for social hour. We were very clearly by ourselves, with our work, laptops, books, really good universal indicators of wanting some quiet time. There was no other noise besides the music and the gosh darn incessant whistling and singing.
Super distracting when I am trying to work on a paper. And to think I left home to be free of distractions.
*Sigh* at least my iced coffee was decent and there was ample parking.

I’ve order ham sandwich, Its really big portion and yummy! The owner is so kind and friendly!

1^st time here to get a quick coffee and the guy that helped us was extremely friendly. ALSO like the parking and seating in the back of the place. Got us everything in a timely fashion. Will definitely come back here:)

Great coffee, friendly service, reasonable prices. What more could you ask for in a coffee shop? Nice décor? They got it– complete with artwork by locals. Parking? Check– in back.
Looking forward to trying out their pastries.

Digging the new ownership vibes. I have to admit I was becoming addicted to La Monarca’s Café de la Olla, but I hadn’t visited P.T. in a while so I thought I’d stop by this morning. Super friendly customer service! I ordered the Chano Chai Latte (Sucio ;-) And they have almond milk, which is a plus in my book. He let me know everything is brewed fresh so it would take a few minutes, and when it was ready he informed me it wouldn’t be too sweet and they have a variety of different sweeteners (agave, raw sugar, regular sugar, liquid brown sugar, etc), but it tasted great the way it was :-D I’ll have to alternate my coffee stops between P.T. and La Monarca, although Primera Taza has a lot more of a local business/​chill vibe, and has cool artwork all the time!
I’ll have to go back to try that famous cheesecake too!

Great place to have a delicious cup of coffee. Oh and don’t forget to get their amazing Cheesecake!!! Not only do they have a great product by also a great team with excellent customer service.

I’ve been trying to look for a spot away from USC Health Campus where I could get my caffeine fix and studying in within biking distance. Nifty Unilocal directed me right to Primera Taza Coffee House and gave me 20% off with a check-​in to boot! Pss, tip to students, with ID you get 10%. I dig student discounts. There’s also a Frequent Guest Card (11^th coffee free). There is also car parking in the back! I had a really chill chat with Chuy, who was a USC alumnai (his partner is a UCLA alumnai). The café has been around for awhile and just switched ownership around 2 months ago.
Los Angeles Magazine’s article on this awesome café:
Chuy told me that their cheesecake was the bomb, with marscapone being used instead of cream cheese. Drool. I didn’t get it this time, but that’s on the top of my list to get when I go. Their sandwiches sounded really great, too. There was a lot of drinks that I wanted to try on their menu, but I went with Raspberry Latte ($ 3.50), SO good. In reading the article, it seems like they source their coffee beans from Mexico, which is really cool. Sustainabiltiy & fair trade, whoop whoop.
Great music selection; old school jams like MJ make for the best study music. Had a really great afternoon at Pimera Taza. Can’t wait to go back!

I love this place. It’s great to see another Latino owned locally flavored coffee house in Boyle Heights. This is a good place to check out on a Friday as the outdoor market is going on just up the street. They even have free parking in the back.

My favorite coffee shop for many reasons.
The atmosphere is welcoming. Not some pretentious hole where people go to get in a knife fight over espresso blends. The ownership has recently changed; and while good before it is fantastic now.
The Stumptown Espresso is well done, as is the cheesecake to accompany it – possibly the finest cheesecake the world has to offer.
Close to all the historic goodness that is Boyle Heights.
A must. Get in the know before this place gets too famous – YES, it’s one of those.

We came here for a coffee while we waited for the birrieria to open across the street. The high Unilocal rating led me to believe we were in for a treat but our experience was just OK.
My latte lacked espresso flavor and tasted mostly of milk. The baked goods, which are from Homeboy Bakery, are kept frozen/​refrigerated until ordered. My reheated scone was OK, but it would be nice if the coffee house had fresh baked goods.
I don’t plan to return.